[go: up one dir, main page]
Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

A Desert

Play trailer 1:39 Poster for A Desert 2025 1h 42m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
83% Tomatometer 40 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A past-his-prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him. A DESERT is a sun-bleached neo-noir horror film about time, the chaos of our world, and the relevance of images in the cultural desert we are faced with today.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

A Desert

Critics Reviews

View More
Jamie Graham Empire Magazine Dec 1
4/5
For a movie that opens in an abandoned cinema and possesses a strong meta dimension throughout, it’s only fitting that A Desert proves so potent, its mood and meanings impossible to shake. Go to Full Review Leslie Felperin Guardian Nov 18
3/5
It’s perhaps not a very profound message, but the visual and editing styles are swoony and most bewitching. Go to Full Review Simon Abrams RogerEbert.com May 2
2/4
There’s only so much room for mystery in a movie whose surreal ambiguity only says so much. Go to Full Review Emilie Black Cinema Crazed 5d
Some will love it, but for this viewer it was one of those misses where the film is neither good nor bad; it just is, and there is no greater cinematic sin than a bland film. Especially when it had potentially to be so much more. Go to Full Review Caitlyn Downs ScaredSheepless.com Mar 27
4.5/5
Joshua Erkman's methodical thriller rewards audience investment with an accomplished assault on the senses. Go to Full Review Bee Delores B-Sides & Badlands Mar 27
3.5/5
A Desert subverts expectations. It doesn't follow any sort of playbook, but instead, it invents its own rules. Joshua Erkman leaves a searing mark on horror, indicating that he has plenty more to say. He just needs time to say it. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Stoner J. @Stoner Mar 19 2 stars because it was done well. But absolutely nothing is explained or makes sense. A waste of an hour and 40 minutes. It’s also extremely long and boring despite a decent runtime. See more Tim B. @SlimTim0707 Feb 27 A Desert aims to be primarily character and event driven, and while uneven with both, it's just original enough to recommend. See more Phil S. @Xenothos Jan 17 The movie had a good story but it was too slow. Would not classify this as a horror movie. See more Claudio C @Claudio666 Jan 9 Disappointing Conclusion (12,187 – 08 Jan 2026) The photographer Alex Clark travels to the desert to take photos of a ghost town, a military base and a pet cemetery. He calls daily his wife Sam from a phone booth. While hosted in room 6 of the Budget Inn Motel, his neighbors make noise late night and he calls the front desk. Soon Renny comes to his room to apologize and asks Alex to take a photo of his "sister" Susie Q and he. Renny brings booze and Susie convinces Alex to drink. On the next day, he meets Renny on the street and he takes Alex to go to the house where he was born in the desert. When they arrive, he stabs Alex to death. Soon Sam hires the private investigator Harold Palladino to find Alex’s whereabouts. "A Desert" (2024) is a good American low-budget thriller by Joshua Erkman. The plot is great until the moment Harold finds Sam. But the surreal and ambiguous ending disappoints the viewers. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): Not Available See more Gabriel T @GabrielFagundes Jan 9 At a first glance, it just looks to be another "psychopath in the desert" movie, but its psychological tone sets it apart. It also has really beautiful scenes. The location they chose was wonderful. Nice, independent film. It's a 8,5 out of 10 See more nilufer e @Nilicim Jul 20 I was expecting this movie to be more scary at least a little gory. However despite certain suspense and a bit of surprises it misses the mark. Mostly boring. See more Read all reviews
A Desert

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Joshua Erkman

Director

David Yow

Harold Palladino

Kai Lennox

Alex Clark

Sarah Lind

Sam Clark

Zachary Ray Sherman

Renny

Ashley B. Smith

Susie Q

More Like This

View All
Smile 2 86% 81% Smile 2 Watchlist TRAILER for Smile 2 Heretic 90% 76% Heretic Watchlist TRAILER for Heretic Talk to Me 94% 83% Talk to Me Watchlist TRAILER for Talk to Me Candyman 84% 72% Candyman Watchlist TRAILER for Candyman New Life 94% 74% New Life Watchlist TRAILER for New Life Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

A Desert

A Desert: Trailer 1 A Desert: Trailer 1 1:39 View more videos
View All

A Desert

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A past-his-prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him. A DESERT is a sun-bleached neo-noir horror film about time, the chaos of our world, and the relevance of images in the cultural desert we are faced with today.
Director
Joshua Erkman
Producer
Hugues Barbier, Joshua Erkman, Justin Timms, Joe Yanick
Screenwriter
Joshua Erkman, Bossi Baker
Distributor
Dark Sky Films
Production Co
Capes and Fog, Yellow Veil Pictures
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 29, 2025
Runtime
1h 42m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Most Popular at Home Now